Sleep Hygiene, Summer Sickness, and HP

Now, I don't pretend to be a sleep expert, but I do believe there is something to this talk of "sleep hygiene." I'm not talking about keeping your body clean before going to bed (God knows I don't need another excuse to wash my hands) but the bedtime habits that either assist or prevent one from sleeping. Some examples of those things to prevent: alcohol 4-6 hours before bed, ditto caffeine, falling asleep to the TV, having your computer in bed with you (guilty of that right now), etc. Some things that may help: regular exercise (but not right before bed!), a warm bath, a pre-bed ritual (I like rituals!), a fixed bedtime and waking time. So, I fail on most of these counts, but I want to make some strides in the right direction. So, a few rules for myself:

1. No more taking the computer into bed with me.

2. No books save novels, poetry, and holy writ. I spend too much time engaged in a book about liturgy or something and then have trouble shutting my brain off.

3. eliminate outside light. I need to buy something to put under my curtain that can get all of the ambient light out of my room. I end up sleeping with my head under the covers.

4. I've worked my way down to medium on my fan speed, which I think is a step in the right direction.

5. One piece of advice on a website is, "Don't take your worries to bed." I don't think most people consciously try to bring worries into bed with them; I do it pretty naturally. But I think praying the daily office before bed could help with that. Maybe some meditation? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I'm annoyingly sick right now - "annoyingly" because it isn't enough to lay in bed all day and watch movies, but it's just enough to make everything a chore. I've got what you would expect to get around February, that sore throat, phlegm, and aching head (also known as headaches). I think I'm one of those people who regularly get a summer cold rather than the winter. It's like my body bucks up during the winter and lets its guard down in the warm weather only to be sprung upon by some infection or bacteria of one kind or the other. Maybe this is what left me in such a bad mood on the 4th of July? At least that will give me justification for my day of lethargy (that should be a national holiday - Day of Lethargy - maybe December 26th or January 2 or July 5 for that matter). My remedy for colds like this is to keep exercising and follow the old adage, "feed a cold, feed a fever."

Right now there's a headline on Huffington Post that reads, "Celebs React in Shock to Casey Anthony Verdict." I know my main concern in this case had nothing to do with whether the jury got it right or wrong or whether we misunderstand what "reasonable doubt" means, but what Snooki and the Jennifer Aniston thought based on their many years of legal experience. Huffington Post is turning more and more into a trashy celebrity tabloid with a liberal spin. We don't need a liberal version of the Drudge Report. A liberal version of crap is still crap (I think I learned that in a logic or philosophy class (pretending for a moment that i took either)).

(all the above was written last night; everything below is this morning)

Well, remember all that talk about annoyingly sick? It turned to just plain, old sick during the night. It started with chills, moved on to radiating heat off my legs, and moved right up to my head. This morning I woke up feeling unseasonably warm. It should be a good day overall.

You know what day will be a good day? July 14th/15th when I see the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter installment. I mean, it will be good until it is over, at which point I will enter a season of mourning. Kassi sent me this picture, which I got really excited about.

I really hope that McGonagall/Maggie Smith gets some good air time. She may be my favorite. Look at her! She's going to be taking some Death Eaters' names!

Well, I will be spending most of today either on my couch or bed, so if you need me, you know where to find me.